Group of 5🛡️ Fragile Stability (1/5)

Scotty Walden

Head Football Coach • UTEP (Miners)

Current Buyout Owed (Today)

$1,541,667

27 months remaining (837 days)

Annual Salary

$801,000

Base + Supplemental Talent

Contract Expires

2028-12-31

Hired: 2023-12-04

Coach Leaves Buyout

$1,000,000

Owed if leaving for NFL / Rival

Daily Amortization

$1,864

Buyout drops each day

University Firing Coach (Without Cause)

School Owes Coach: $1,541,667

Contract buyout as tracked by USA Today Sports: $1,541,667. (In addition to School Pay, university in 2024 provided up-front payment of $151,240 to Austin Peay to cover buyout that Walden owed that school. However, Walden must reimburse Texas-El Paso for this amount in the following manner: $76,239.92 in 12 equal consecutive monthly installments beginning on Jan. 1, 2024 and ending on Dec. 1, 2024; and the outstanding amount in 12 equal consecutive monthly installments beginning on Jan. 1, 2025 and ending on Dec. 1, 2025. The monthly installments are to be automatically withheld from Walden's compensation that would otherwise be payable. In the event of early termination of their contract by either party, with or without cause, on or before Dec. 1, 2025, any of this amount that remains unpaid becomes immediately payable.)

Payment Structure:Annual Installments

Duty to Mitigate (Offsets):No (Guaranteed regardless of new job)

Total Remaining Unearned Salary:$1,835,556

Coach Departs Voluntarily (Poaching Clause)

Coach / Hiring School Owes: $1,000,000

If Scotty Walden accepts a position as head coach with another collegiate program or an NFL franchise prior to 2028-12-31, he or his new employer is legally bound to pay this liquidated departure penalty.

Departure Fee:$1,000,000

School Retention Leverage:Standard College Buyout

Coaching Stance & Contractual Security

Job Stability vs. The Hot Seat

How Our Two-Axis Model Works

0/5 Votes

Pending Fan Consensus

Tension Rating: Stability (1/5) • Hot Seat (Pending)

Contract Job Stability is rated Fragile Stability. Awaiting 5 more community vote(s) to officially establish the Hot Seat alignment.

Contract Job Stability

Level 1 / 5

Fragile Stability

Low Financial Barrier • $1,541,667 Buyout Firewall

Negligible financial barrier; athletic director can execute termination with minimal economic hardship.

Contract Safeguard: Contract buyout as tracked by USA Today Sports: $1,541,667. (In addition to School Pay, university in 2024 provided up-front payment of $151,240 to Austin Peay to cover buyout that Walden owed that school. However, Walden must reimburse Texas-El Paso for this amount in the following manner: $76,239.92 in 12 equal consecutive monthly installments beginning on Jan. 1, 2024 and ending on Dec. 1, 2024; and the outstanding amount in 12 equal consecutive monthly installments beginning on Jan. 1, 2025 and ending on Dec. 1, 2025. The monthly installments are to be automatically withheld from Walden's compensation that would otherwise be payable. In the event of early termination of their contract by either party, with or without cause, on or before Dec. 1, 2025, any of this amount that remains unpaid becomes immediately payable.)

Mitigation Duty: None (fully guaranteed sum)

The Hot Seat (Community Consensus)

Consensus Building

Consensus Building0 / 5 Votes

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Interactive Amortization Simulator for Scotty Walden

Interactive Financial Modeler

Simulate Termination Date & Buyout Cost

See how contract amortization, date milestones, and mitigation clauses reduce buyout liability over time.

Select Coach (Alphabetical by School)

Scotty WaldenSecure

UTEP • Group of 5 • Contract thru 2028-12-31

Annual Salary

$801,000

Current Buyout (Today)

$1,541,667

Hypothetical Termination Date

Selected Date: 2026-09-16 (837 days remaining on contract)

Or pick any exact date:

Buyout Owed on 2026-09-16

$1,541,667

Official USA Today Verified Buyout

Savings by Delaying to This Date

Natural amortization saves $1,864 / day

If Coach Leaves Voluntarily

$1,000,000

Amount coach / hiring team owes UTEP

Duty to Mitigate (New Job Offset Analysis)

No Mitigation Required (Full Guarantee)

Important: Scotty Walden's contract does not mandate an affirmative duty to mitigate. Even if he takes another job paying millions tomorrow, UTEP is legally obligated to continue paying the full buyout amount with zero offset!

Contract Calculation Formula:

USA Today FOIA benchmark: $1,541,667. Data aligned with October 2025 authoritative baseline.

💡 By waiting 6 months, natural salary amortization reduces buyout liability by ~$340K.

Key Contractual Stipulations